The tenth Sunday of the NFL season began with an exciting overtime affair in Germany, featuring Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor approaching 50 fantasy points, followed by another terrific outing by New England Patriots MVP candidate Drake Maye in the early afternoon games. Then, in the late afternoon, Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford tossed four TD passes for a record third consecutive game.
Of course, this being the NFL, not everything that happened Sunday was positive. We are still waiting for New York Jets WR Garrett Wilson and Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore to score a fantasy point. Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold scored only 4.92 more fantasy points than they did. Minnesota Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson scored just 2.8 points. New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart thrived again, rushing for two touchdowns, but he had to leave early due to a concussion. He may not play in Week 11.
Each Monday, before the current NFL weekend ends, we will identify players available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues worthy of your attention, from standard formats to deeper options. The NFL is a weekly league, and player valuation and roles seldom remain stagnant. It does not matter how you acquire players for your fantasy rosters, just that you acquire them!
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals (33.3% rostered in ESPN leagues): Old Flacco comes off his bye week for a road tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The last time Flacco faced the Steelers, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was not at all happy about it. Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns (25.98 points) in an exhilarating 33-31 win. Flacco has averaged 25 fantasy points over his last four games. Chances are pretty good that your fantasy QB has not done the same.
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings (49.6%): Young McCarthy remains an unreliable fantasy option, but even as he completed fewer than half his passes in Sunday’s loss, he scored 14.72 points, thanks in part to 48 rushing yards. The Vikings host the Bears in Week 11. McCarthy opened the season against these Bears and scored 22.22 points. Perhaps he can do so again.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
Trey Benson, Cardinals (49.9%): Benson (knee) remains on IR and, while he was expected to be back in the lineup by now, he has yet to practice. Perhaps he will return this week. Emari Demercado led Cardinals running backs with 13.4 points on Sunday, but Benson — who the franchise chose in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft to be the heir apparent to starter James Conner — will be given every opportunity to break out, when healthy.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (27.8%): Allgeier rushed for a pair of touchdowns in Atlanta’s overtime loss to the Colts, giving him six for the season. While that is three times as many rushing touchdowns as star Bijan Robinson, it’s still tough to rely on Allgeier. He gets more volume than most backup running backs and even has four games with double-digit PPR points. However, there have also been multiple games where he barely scored any fantasy points at all. Consider him because the Falcons play the Panthers, Saints and Jets over the next three weeks.
Tyjae Spears, Titans (37.9%): Spears and the Titans come off their bye week to face the Texans in Week 11. The Texans have their own problems on offense, and they weren’t so dominant defensively in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. Spears, getting double-digit touches in recent weeks, has outscored “starter” Tony Pollard in three of the last four games and is trending in the right direction.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
Tez Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (27.9%): Emeka Egbuka, the 19th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is the star here. However, there is room for Johnson, picked 235th in the same draft, to continue posting relevant deep-league numbers. Johnson scored touchdowns on two of his five Sunday targets and he has averaged a relevant 13.3 points over his last five games. There is no telling when Chris Godwin Jr. (leg) will play again.
Mack Hollins, Patriots (0.6%): Nobody was discussing Hollins over the first seven weeks of the season, for good reasons. However, Hollins has stepped up in two of the last three games, catching seven passes for 89 yards in Week 8 and another six passes for 106 yards on Sunday. With Kayshon Boutte (hamstring) out, it appears Hollins is relevant.
Parker Washington, Jaguars (16.9%): Washington figured to play a larger role in Sunday’s game against the Texans with Brian Thomas Jr. (ankle) joining Travis Hunter (knee) on the sidelines. QB Trevor Lawrence, however, continued his struggles, completing only 13 passes. Washington scored an impressive sideline receiving touchdown and returned a punt for another score. He may thrive again in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts
Dalton Schultz, Texans (27%): Schultz, so statistically quiet during the first month, has scored double-digit fantasy points in four of the last five games, including 18.3 points in Sunday’s last-second win. Backup QB Davis Mills targeted Schultz 11 times. The Titans are up next, and it may not matter who plays QB for Houston. Schultz is a worthy addition.
Cade Otton, Buccaneers (34.8%): Like Schultz, Otton started slowly this season and now he also boasts double-digit fantasy points in four of five games. He enjoyed season-highs of nine catches, 82 yards and 12 targets on Sunday. QB Baker Mayfield is going to keep throwing the football and Otton, who was relevant in fantasy for some of last season as well when others were absent, is thriving.
Deep-league options/streamers/random thoughts